Agreed. I'm not sure I'd want to go up against PC and USC every year. It'll be interesting to see if Sark can turn UW around. He may be able to do it.

smokymountainrain

12-04-2008, 08:40 PM

Agreed. I'm not sure I'd want to go up against PC and USC every year. It'll be interesting to see if Sark can turn UW around. He may be able to do it.

As long as he doesn't do it by stealing Heaps from BYU.

TripletDaddy

12-04-2008, 08:46 PM

The SC boards are not exactly sad by this news, but I think Sark is making a mistake.

True, expectations are rock bottom at UW given their horrible performance as of late.

But Sark is not ready. Look at how the offense at SC has stalled this year with his erratic tailback rotations and play calling.

One thing is for sure, there won't be a shortage of inquiries to Uncle Pete....."hey Pete, are you hiring? I notice you have some nice talent on next year's team....and the year after......"

TripletDaddy

12-04-2008, 09:07 PM

Also, how bummed is Norm Chow from a career perspective?

He recommends Sark to PC for a grad assistant job. Sark winds up replacing Norm.

Norm is now stuck with the UCLA job.

Meanwhile, Kiff was the HC at Oakland and now is the HC at Tennessee. Sark is now the HC at Washington.

I don't think Norm will ever be a head coach. Dude is cursed.

an interesting article from today's LA times about Norm, Sark, Pete, Walker, and a bit of commentary on the BYU connections.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-rivals4-2008dec04,0,1170274.story

New Mexican Disaster

12-04-2008, 09:21 PM

The SC boards are not exactly sad by this news, but I think Sark is making a mistake.

True, expectations are rock bottom at UW given their horrible performance as of late.

But Sark is not ready. Look at how the offense at SC has stalled this year with his erratic tailback rotations and play calling.

One thing is for sure, there won't be a shortage of inquiries to Uncle Pete....."hey Pete, are you hiring? I notice you have some nice talent on next year's team....and the year after......"

Sarkisian has a much better chance of success than Kiffin at Tennessee. First, he is recruiting his home territory, while Kiffin will have to go primarily into new territoriy . Second, there is less intense competition for recruits on the West Coast than in the South and Washington has a larger local recruiting base than does Tennessee.

The Husky fan base is real hungry from a decade of devastation, but it has also tempered expectations. Willingham stuck around for an extra year after they could have shown him the door. Tennessee went to the SEC title game LAST YEAR. They did not have a horrible season, as they could easily have been 8-4 with a couple of bounces.

Washington still has a fan base and facilities that should make it a top tier Pac-10 program given any level of competence. I think Sarkisian will have that competence. I think Tennessee, will not have the patience to let Kiffin develop the program.

Aren't you glad I made this thread about a comparison of the two erstwhile PC proteges? I know I am.

TripletDaddy

12-04-2008, 09:30 PM

Sarkisian has a much better chance of success than Kiffin at Tennessee. First, he is recruiting his home territory, while Kiffin will have to go primarily into new territoriy . Second, there is less intense competition for recruits on the West Coast than in the South and Washington has a larger local recruiting base than does Tennessee.

The Husky fan base is real hungry from a decade of devastation, but it has also tempered expectations. Willingham stuck around for an extra year after they could have shown him the door. Tennessee went to the SEC title game LAST YEAR. They did not have a horrible season, as they could easily have been 8-4 with a couple of bounces.

Washington still has a fan base and facilities that should make it a top tier Pac-10 program given any level of competence. I think Sarkisian will have that competence. I think Tennessee, will not have the patience to let Kiffin develop the program.

Aren't you glad I made this thread about a comparison of the two erstwhile PC proteges? I know I am.

Interestingly, SC only has one player on its entire roster from the state of Washington.

However, that one player happens to be Taylor Mays.

Conversely, UW has about 25 or 30 players on its roster from LA. Are any of them impact players? No clue.

New Mexican Disaster

12-04-2008, 09:33 PM

Interestingly, SC only has one player on its entire roster from the state of Washington.

However, that one player happens to be Taylor Mays.

Conversely, UW has about 25 or 30 players on its roster from LA. Are any of them impact players? No clue.

I am not sure they have any impact players aside from Jake Locker, who is from Washington.

SeattleUte

12-04-2008, 09:51 PM

Back in the day UW regularly had USC's number, and won many Pac 10 titles. UW is not a program that ineluctably must be second fiddle to the two big Cal schools. UW has resources, a big population base and following, it's in the Pac 10, it has excellent academics and a fine football tradition. The natural order is that Oregon and Utah are poor man's Washingtons. If McBride/Meyer/Whittingham turned Utah into a program of national distinction, the right coach can certainly return Washington to that status.

So it would be a great opportunity for Sarkisian. But I don't think Washington made a smart move, if this is true. If I were the AD I'd only be looking at head coaches with strong records of success. I'd pull out all stops to get Kyle Whittingham or the like. UW can't afford another hiring mistake, but I think they've made their third consecutive big mistake, fourth in the last five hires. Time will tell, but I'm rarely wrong about coaching hires. I would be a good AD.

TripletDaddy

12-04-2008, 10:04 PM

Back in the day UW regularly had USC's number, and won many Pac 10 titles. UW is not a program that ineluctably must be second fiddle to the two big Cal schools. UW has resources, a big population base and following, it's in the Pac 10, it has excellent academics and a fine football tradition. The natural order is that Oregon and Utah are poor man's Washingtons. If McBride/Meyer/Whittingham turned Utah into a program of national distinction, the right coach can certainly return Washington to that status.

So it would be a great opportunity for Sarkisian. But I don't think Washington made a smart move, if this is true. If I were the AD I'd only be looking at head coaches with strong records of success. I'd pull out all stops to get Kyle Whittingham or the like. UW can't afford another hiring mistake, but I think they've made their third consecutive big mistake, fourth in the last five hires. Time will tell, but I'm rarely wrong about coaching hires. I would be a good AD.

I agree that UW has a nice football tradition. In fact, you could make a very strong argument that after SC, UW has the second best football tradition in the PAC10. And believe me, I haven't forgotten the lean years SC endured between greatness.

I honestly think that the Sark hiring is more for the fans and boosters. This isn't as much about hiring Sark as it is bringing some of USC to the UW locker room. Boosters want to emulate SC, so what better way than to hire SC personnel? Do we have any indication that Sark can run a defense? Is Sark a competent recruiter? I know that for SC, he had no hand in recruiting Matt, Booty, or Mark Sanchez. I doubt Mitch Mustain transferred from the SEC because of Sark. I do know that when SC landed Matt Barkley (5 star from Mater Dei), he specifically mentioned PC and Sark, so perhaps Sark can land the big fish.

I guess time will tell, but UW is in a crappy position. Schools need to consider the vacancy before they create it. You fire Willingham, but who is available right now to fill the spot? There aren't a lot of big names.

Surfah

12-04-2008, 10:08 PM

Schools need to consider the vacancy before they create it. You fire Willingham, but who is available right now to fill the spot? There aren't a lot of big names.

Signed,

Auburn

DrumNFeather

12-05-2008, 05:46 AM

Signed,

Auburn

Exactly. If Mike Leech turns them down, where do they go? One name I have heard is Gary Patterson, but I'm not sure if he could land that job.

UtahDan

12-05-2008, 07:00 AM

So looks like you might get to kee Whittingham.

SU is right about you being in the gall of bitterness. Don't you have a pretty good hoops team? Focus some attention there buddy.